They didn’t steal jewels, drugs or precious paintings, their only “aim” which then led to them being arrested, was Lego bricks. Precisely those that children are so passionate about, but also many adults who are ready to do anything to collect them.
The “black market” of bricks”
To understand the whole story well, it is important to start from the beginning. The “strange” pair of thieves was made up of the 39-year-old Whitethe “hand” that stole parts from shopping centers and specialty shops and from the 71-year-old Richard, who then hid them in his Los Angeles apartment where they both lived. However, it wasn’t a matter of stealing a few handfuls of loose bricks and putting them in your pocket, the stolen pieces were actual sets.
Faithful reconstructions of The Lord of the Ringsor spaceships of Star Wars – among other things the most requested – and of all those masterpiece sets to be made only with bricks. Precious pieces for collectors which in the shop could cost from 150 euros upwards, but on the black market could reach close to 4 thousand.
And it was precisely that market that the two thieves were aiming for: once the set was stolen, it was hidden in Richard’s garage, photographed and put on the black market at tenfold prices. The police arrived right here – attracted by one of the messages of two posted online – discovering a real treasure, which would certainly have made many children happy, but above all satisfied the obsession of many collectors.
A thriving market
Just as if it were a safe haven, the bricks Lego they have become one of the most stolen items in the world. As reported by Corriere della Serain the Covid period, from 2019 to 2021, France was the subject of a real depredation by thieves arriving from Eastern Europe.
After spending a few days in a hotel in Paris, they left with a huge loot for their countries of origin where they put the stolen goods online, then shipping them to every part of the world at much higher prices.
Precisely in the period of the pandemic, both due to the forced closures and the desire to pass the time, Lego bricks had seen a surge in sales, intended not only for children, but also – above all – for adults who, from simple enthusiasts, then became have become fierce collectors.
The most sensational thefts
If you look at the news, there have been many thefts of this particular type of goods, starting from Germany, where in order to steal the most precious pieces the thieves went so far as to make a large hole in the wall. But again in Great Britain where a couple of years ago some people who were driving a car full of precious stolen sets were stopped and then arrested.
Probably one of the most sensational cases occurred in Australia, when during some narcotics raids on sites where methamphetamine was produced,
Dozens of Lego sets were also seized ready, together with drugs, to be placed on the market, a sign not only that times are changing, but that the bricks now have the same market value as drugs.
